After having been here for a week, I finally got to go to
Children’s Paradise, which was my main volunteering stint for the rest of my 3
weeks here. The children here are like
angels, especially having experienced 2 of the other daycares in my first week. They sat perfectly in the school bus and were
ever so polite in their greetings – ‘good morning Aunty!’ (my favourite part of
every morning).
 |
| Buntty and Amanda |
Buntty, the principal of the preschool is the most amazing
lady who has such a big heart and endless love for all the children at the
school, special needs and ‘normal’ kids alike.
She and her husband, Sundeep, and her brother Alan make up the team of
people who run the school.
The teachers
are all lovely, bursting with vast amounts of energy each day in teaching the
kids not only academics but also values such as respect and love for one
another.
At a young age the children
are taught how to take care of and look after each other.
In the past 2 weeks I’ve gotten to know some
of the special needs children (mainly diagnosed with ASD and ADHD) quite
dearly.
 |
| Amanda hanging out with the kids! |
I’ve discovered that being a volunteer doesn’t necessarily
mean coming into Nepal and teaching the children – for me it was a learning
process more than anything.
The children
taught patience, and it’s heart warming each time I see the teachers and kids
playing so happily alongside each other.
It amazes me how the relationships between teacher and student can be so
defined, yet the boundaries can be blurred when the time deems it necessary.
No doubt the job had its many challenges –
for example, sitting with one of the children teaching him to point at simple
facial expressions for three quarters of an hour straight (success rate 1 out
of 100), but the rewards were more fulfilling.
I will remember the time spent with each child fondly and
will miss their singing in the morning and afternoon. I will also miss the time spent with Buntty
and Sundeep in the office talking about everything under the sun, and the bus
rides everyday with the children and Allan.
It’s been such great fun, and Children’s Paradise will always have a
place in my heart. Thank you for such a
great opportunity GVI!!
Xx Amanda
0 comments:
Post a Comment